John Wall: Already Among Decade's Elite?

The
recent collegehoopsnet.com poll, “Who
is the player of the decade?” certainly sparks an interesting debate. As an
avid college basketball fan, I have seen all of the great ones of the past ten
years – from the four-year legacies of Redick and Hansbrough, to the
one-and-done flashes of Anthony and Durant. While a claim could be staked for
many of the household names, I believe that the best player to play college
basketball in this decade may have just come onto the radar screen.

I am always skeptical when I get word
of the “next great player in college basketball.” This year was certainly no
exception, as 6’4” freshman point guard John Wall was anointed just that before
even setting foot on Kentucky’s campus. I saw Wall play for the first time last
week as his Wildcats took on lowly Hartford at Rupp Arena. I wanted to see if
reality could even come close to the colossal hype surrounding the player who is
the unanimous choice to be the top pick in next year’s NBA draft. While Wall
scored a season-low 9 points, he left me with the feeling that he might not just
be the next great player in college basketball – he might just end up being the
best player to play college basketball in this decade.

Against Hartford, Wall dished out a
school-record 16 assists, including 11 in the first half – five of which were
alley-oop passes he created seemingly out of nowhere. Wall’s virtuoso
performance was punctuated with an alley-oop dunk of his own – using a back
screen to perfection and then skying for a two-handed reverse finish that would
make Lebron James and Vince Carter jealous. Wall also played hounding defense,
harassing ball-handlers with his quickness and athleticism, anticipating passes,
and disrupting the Hartford offense with relentless tenaticity. Granted, Wall
did not appear a pure shooter, and his assists were received by the likes of
All-American candidates Patrick Patterson and DeMarcus Cousins, who were better
and bigger than their Hartford opponents. But the manner in which Wall carried
himself throughout left me in awe of what is and what could become of this
precocious freshman.

Wall displays an uncanny poise in the
heat of the moment – almost as if the game is in slow motion for him while
everyone else is operating at regular speed. Several of his alley-oop passes
came late in the shot clock after a play had broken down when he simply
improvised and created something out of nothing. It was evident that Wall saw
these plays a step ahead in his mind – faster than his opponents, faster than
the audience, but just slow enough to catch a teammate with a perfect pass at
just the right time in just the right place to finish with ease. Wall displayed
the kind of ability that left everyone wondering, “How did he do that?”

Former NBA All-Star and current
Kentucky assistant coach Rod Strickland noticed this quality in Wall – stating
that he first realized Wall’s immense talent during the Blue/White intersquad
scrimmage – the first time Wall played in a game with referees, wearing a
Kentucky uniform, in front of a crowd. Strickland stated that Wall just seems
to be able to raise his game to a new level in the heat of the battle.

Wall has been quoted as boldly saying
he wants to become the best point guard ever to play the game. He says that
what drives him is knowing that on any given night, someone might outplay him,
or beat him and think that they are better than he is. I dare say we haven’t
seen the likes of such self-belief and desire to prove oneself since Michael
Jordan.

Also remarkable was the fact that
when Wall recorded his record-setting 16th assist, his teammates on
the bench stood up and applauded enthusiastically, indicating the respect and
admiration they have for their star teammate.

While other first-year coaches
struggle at big-name programs – Sean Miller and Johnny Dawkins are 6-6 at
Arizona and Stanford, respectively – John Calipari sits a perfect 14-0 in his
first year in Lexington, while starting three freshmen. John Wall’s will to
win, Calipari freely admits, is a big reason why.

As the decade draws to a close, and
the time has come for us to choose the player of the decade in college
basketball, John Wall has made a late entrance into the discussion as he played
his own final game of the decade with a record-setting performance. Perhaps we
will have to reopen the debate in a few months.

Paul Elkins has been an
occasional contributor to collegehoops.net since 2004. Email Paul at
phe04@aol.com.

SPONSORS

About CHN

ColumnistCHN Staff

Contactcollegehoopsnet@aol.com

Background

Collegehoops.net is the web's largest independent college basketball site. A team of over a dozen writers releases original content 365 days a year.. from opening day to Selection Sunday, the NBA Draft, and beyond. Enjoy,